The First Conan On Film

Was not sure if I should post this topic here or in the Conan film area, so with a toss of a coin it ends up here.

Recently I obtain some printing mechanical paste-ups and various art works for Amra Fanzine from the late Great George Scither's Estate. One of these items was the complete mechanicals for issue 49, dated 1968. Among the 20 pages was some photos of a bodybuilder modeling I assume as Conan on pages 18 and 19. The contents gave on page 2 of the fanzine give a name of Paul Gerrior.

Can anyone confirm that this is the name of the model and any information about him? Whoever he is could one say he is the first Conan actor/model on film professionally? If not who is the first Conan actor/model on film professionally?

Location:Outside the ordered universe, where the boundless daemon sultan Azathoth, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity.

Posted 20 July 2011 - 02:03 AM

Not sure if you could count someone posing for a still photograph as an "actor" "on film", as that typically means motion picture.

If not who is the first Conan actor/model on film professionally?

Arnold Schwarzennegger.

Money and muscle, that's what I want; to be able to do any damned thing I want and get away with it. Money won't do that altogether, because if a man is a weakling, all the money in the world won't enable him to soak an enemy himself; on the other hand, unless he has money he may not be able to get away with it.--Robert E. Howard to Harold Preece, ca. June 1928--

Yes, Arnold was the first to play Conan on film; perhaps this Paul Gerrior was considered early in the production, along with (allegedly) Sean Connery and Burt Reynolds.

When the first Conan movie was in pre-production, the first actor considered would have been Charles Bronson. Various producers and powers that be felt that Bronson would have been okay as King Conan, but for a series character they needed a younger lead. At the time Pumping Iron, a tremendously influential documentary about Body Building was just going to be released and Ed Summer, George Lucas and Steven Speilberg all saw a rough cut of it with Edd Pressman. Pressman was taken with Arnold Schwarzenegger and said he felt Arnold had a lot of charisma, but wondered what part he would be good for. The others immediately mentioned Conan and then showed Pressman some Lancer Conan paperbacks with Frazetta covers and some issues of Savage Sword. Pressman then went out and signed Shwarzenegger to a three picture contract. Other actors being looked at for different parts in the film included Raquel Welch as Red Sonja, Sean Connery as a Wizard and Lou Ferrigno as a bad guy.

Was not sure if I should post this topic here or in the Conan film area, so with a toss of a coin it ends up here.

Recently I obtain some printing mechanical paste-ups and various art works for Amra Fanzine from the late Great George Scither's Estate. One of these items was the complete mechanicals for issue 49, dated 1968. Among the 20 pages was some photos of a bodybuilder modeling I assume as Conan on pages 18 and 19. The contents gave on page 2 of the fanzine give a name of Paul Gerrior.

Can anyone confirm that this is the name of the model and any information about him? Whoever he is could one say he is the first Conan actor/model on film professionally? If not who is the first Conan actor/model on film professionally?

A google search does show a Paul Gerrior who was around that time and who was apparently, um shall we say, um, a "physique model". An article I saw compared him to Clint Walker. An image search shows primarily recent pics of him, but I did find one where he obviously had the build and the face for a Conan pictorial.

When the first Conan movie was in pre-production, the first actor considered would have been Charles Bronson. Various producers and powers that be felt that Bronson would have been okay as King Conan, but for a series character they needed a younger lead.

That's funny because I joke with a friend that I would like to make a fake trailer for a 1960s Conan movie starring Charles Bronson and Laurence Olivier as his sorcerer nemesis using stock footage. Didnt know he was seriously considered. Welch as RS? She reminds me of D Gillespie in the People that Time Forgot (which featured a Conan the Destroyer co star, and Frazetta paintings as set decorations). I have wondered if she didnt influence the comics depictions of RS or someone associated with PTTF was a comics and sword and sorcery fan because change her clothes to the RS costume and she would really look like the late 70s RS (or at least the one I remember from a Spider-man Marvel team up issue by John Byrne).

When the first Conan movie was in pre-production, the first actor considered would have been Charles Bronson. Various producers and powers that be felt that Bronson would have been okay as King Conan, but for a series character they needed a younger lead.

That's funny because I joke with a friend that I would like to make a fake trailer for a 1960s Conan movie starring Charles Bronson and Laurence Olivier as his sorcerer nemesis using stock footage. Didnt know he was seriously considered. Welch as RS? She reminds me of D Gillespie in the People that Time Forgot (which featured a Conan the Destroyer co star, and Frazetta paintings as set decorations). I have wondered if she didnt influence the comics depictions of RS or someone associated with PTTF was a comics and sword and sorcery fan because change her clothes to the RS costume and she would really look like the late 70s RS (or at least the one I remember from a Spider-man Marvel team up issue by John Byrne).